“Get On Up” is director Tate Taylor’s follow-up to the 2011 sleeper hit “The Help”, which got a Best Picture Oscar nomination and Best Supporting Actress win for Octavia Spencer. Both she and Viola Davis re-team with Taylor for the James Brown biopic, but this time in very small roles, as two of the women who had an influence on Brown during his life. The man who portrays the legendary “Godfather of Soul” is the clear star of this show.
Chadwick Boseman’s breakout role was as baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson in last year’s “42”. His performance as the greedy, selfish, lonely and incredibly talented Brown is another winner, and in fact, an even more impressive piece of work. Boseman dominates every scene he’s in, which is most of the film, with a display of raw tenacity you don’t see from most actors in biopics. And in each scene we get something new and effective, adding layer upon layer to Brown’s very complex life. And Boseman completely captures Brown’s signature dance moves (including the splits), turning each song (and there are many more than I expected) into a powerhouse event.
This is the kind of performance that’s going to attract Best Actor attention, and Boseman certainly deserves it. One negative, and it’s not really his fault, is that Boseman doesn’t actually sing any of Brown’s classic songs, but rather lip syncs to the original renditions. I’m not sure how this will affect Boseman come Awards Season. Reese Witherspoon sung all of June Carter Cash’s songs in “Walk the Line”, while Jamie Foxx only performed a few songs in his own voice as Ray Charles in “Ray”. They both went on to win Oscars.
The vocal dubbings are not the only reason why the editors of “Get On Up” deserve applause for a heck of a job. The script, written by brothers John-Henry and Jez Butterworth (who also co-penned the Tom Cruise/Emily Blunt action film “Edge of Tomorrow”) bounces around, back and forth, through the timeline of Brown’s life. In one scene, Brown is struggling in his later years (the makeup on Boseman is quite good), the next we flashback to his all but perfect childhood, and then we see Brown in his prime on-stage at the Apollo Theatre. If not done as well as it is, this technique could’ve driven me crazy. But because the storytelling is so engaging, with unique, symbolic touches and a commanding lead, “Get On Up” keeps you on your toes from the frightening opening scenes to the closing credits montage, complete with photos of the real Mr. Brown.
The supporting cast is led by Nelsan Ellis (“Secretariat”) who does solid work as Brown’s right-hand-man Bobby Byrd. Dan Aykroyd is also very good as Brown’s longtime manager Ben Bart. And comedian Craig Robinson plays one of Brown’s bandmates. There’s also an A-list behind-the-scenes team, as both Brian Grazer (of Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment) and rock pioneer Mick Jagger (who was friends with Brown in real life) serve as producers.
“Get On Up” is rated PG-13 for strong language, some violence, brief adult content and drug use. It’s appropriate for teens and up. I give Taylor credit for taking some risks: The film is a lengthy 2:20, allowing him enough time to cover the scope of an incredible life, though he does only touch briefly on some of the singer’s negative traits and periods. And he has Brown “Break the Fourth Wall” a few times, a technique that dominated Clint Eastwood’s “Jersey Boys”. It’s much more effective here.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “Get On Up” gets an A-. Overall, “I feel good” in stating that this is one of the most satisfying and entertaining movies of 2014.